Japan-U.S. Trade Talks Postponed to Tues.

September 25, 2018

New York- The Japanese and U.S. governments have put off their trade talks until Tuesday morning, Japanese economic revitalization minister Toshimitsu Motegi said in New York on Monday.

U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer became unable to attend the originally scheduled talks here on Monday afternoon, Motegi told reporters.

During the rescheduled session, Motegi and Lighthizer are expected to decide specific trade areas and issues to be discussed from now on.

The postponement "will not affect" his plan to report to Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe about the outcome of the second round of the so-called "free, fair and reciprocal" trade talks by Tuesday afternoon, Motegi said. The ministerial trade talks will precede a Japan-U.S. summit set to take place also in New York the following day.

Motegi did not rule out the possibility of Japan accepting a U.S. request for launching tariff negotiations chiefly over beef and other agricultural products on condition that the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump exempt Japanese cars from fresh import duties.

"I haven't told there will be no (tariff negotiations), I think," he said. Jiji Press